Each of the 200 hikers wore a tag bearing the name and photo of a firefighter who died that day.

The hike marked the first of many local events this week to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the attacks.

Among the hikers Saturday was Lakeside resident Lucy Jacobs, who climbed the hill carrying a “Flag of Honor,” which lists the names of the almost 3,000 people who died during the attacks in New York, at the Pentagon and on United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania.

“9/11 changed my understanding of my purpose and role,” said Jacobs, an attorney.

She said she came to eschew “individual pursuit of self-gratification” in favor of “being part of something greater, as in being an American.”

The hike kicked off about 7:15 a.m. with a ceremony featuring a solo bagpipes rendition of “Amazing Grace” and a color guard.

The crowd — from Boy Scouts to cheerleaders to retired firefighters — hiked up Monserate Mountain, which sits along the east side of Interstate 15 a few miles north of state Route 76.

The steep 1½-mile trail to the summit is part of a 340-acre preserve run by the Fallbrook Land Conservancy. At points along the hike, organizers posted signs indicating which floor the hikers would be on if they had climbed the tower stairs.

The event was put together by a committee from the North County Fire Protection District, which serves areas in and around Fallbrook and Rainbow.

After he finished the hike, a tired Choi noted that when New York fire crews went up the stairs of the towers, they were dressed in full gear and hauling heavy equipment.

“They went up there to rescue people and do their job. So, it’s my way to show respect to them.”

Also completing the hike in firefighting gear was Cal Fire Capt. Mike Lopez, who recently returned from helping out on the massive Rim fire in and around Yosemite National Park.

Hiker David Huckobey, a retired Marine, said his thoughts during the climb went to his friend William Warneke, one of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters killed June 30 in the Yarnell Hill fire near Prescott, Ariz.

Huckobey served with Warneke, then a Marine lance corporal, during a tour in Iraq in 2007 and 2008.

The two were based out of Camp Pendleton.

Warneke was 25, married and an expectant father when he died.

The hikers each donated between $20 and $30 to take part in the event. The money raised will be split between the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project.